Back pain is among the most common reasons people visit the doctor. That’s not surprising, given that about 16 million Americans live with chronic back pain — that’s 8% of adults!
Back pain varies significantly from person to person, making it tricky to find the most effective treatment. That’s why you want an experienced spine and pain physician on your team, like Ajay Kumar, MD, DABPM, DABPM.
With offices in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Matamoras, Pennsylvania, and Warwick, New York, Dr. Kumar offers an array of effective and innovative treatments to achieve long-term relief.
One of these highly effective solutions involves spinal cord stimulation.
If you have persistent back pain, read on and learn five reasons to consider spinal cord stimulation.
First, Dr. Kumar breaks down how this treatment works.
Instead of using medication to address your symptoms, a spinal cord stimulator (SCS) interrupts pain signals by sending out mild electrical impulses.
With this system, electrodes are placed near the nerve, causing your pain. These electrodes are connected to a small pulse generator implanted just beneath the skin near your spine.
When the device is activated, it delivers gentle currents of electricity to the nerve, disrupting the pain signals going to the brain. This interference changes how the brain processes the messages, a process known as neuromodulation.
Neuromodulation can’t heal your pain source. However, it can completely change the sensations you experience and significantly reduce or eliminate pain.
Our team usually recommends less invasive therapies before trying scs. However, conditions that respond to this therapy often include:
Dr. Kumar may perform an SCS trial to determine if it’s right for you before implantation.
During an SCS trial, we implant electrodes in your epidural space or near the specific nerves causing your symptoms. However, you wear the small pulse generator outside of your body instead of having it surgically implanted.
The trial period usually lasts at least a week, letting us see if an SCS provides adequate pain relief. We consider it a success if you experience at least a 50% reduction in pain. If your SCS trial isn’t a success, we can easily remove the electrodes and try other pain management solutions.
If your trial succeeds, we can permanently implant the pulse generator underneath your skin and anchor the electrodes to reduce movement. This process can take about 1-2 hours, and you can go home the same day. In most cases, healing from SCS implantation takes 2-4 weeks.
Spinal cord stimulation devices have few complications, and the process is entirely reversible, even after implantation.
At New Jersey Advanced Pain Management Center, you’re never a number. To book a consultation with Dr. Kumar, call the office most convenient to you or request an appointment online.
